We don’t know anything about this man who asked Jesus to settle his dispute. Maybe he was interested in justice. Maybe he was just greedy. In either case, Jesus makes the most of the encounter to teach one of the most basic Christian lessons: The purpose of life is not about getting rich.
This is the same lesson we heard in the first reading. The emphasis on the vanity and meaninglessness of things sounds harsh, but it’s really just reminding us an obvious truth: Our life on earth is passing away. We shouldn’t think of the things of this earth, as if they are ends in themselves. They aren’t. They are means to an end to help us fulfill a much higher purpose: knowing and loving God.
We need money and possessions in order to live dignified lives, and it is certainly no sin to enjoy them. But if striving after them makes us neglect a healthy relationship with God, the Church, and our neighbors, we will come to a tragic end, just like the rich man in the parable.
Jesus knows how easily we are tempted by money and possessions. That’s why he makes this lesson so clear. He warns us, “Take care to guard against all greed.” Instead, if we want a truly fulfilling life, we should strive to be “rich in what matters to God.” As Blessed Mother Teresa reminds us, “God does not expect us to be successful but to be faithful.”
How does we calculate our wealth? Usually it’s by checking to see how much we have. But the saints tell us we need to calculate our wealth by seeing how much of it we’ve given away. The psychology of possession is full of contradictions. If you collect a million dollars, are you then happy? Chances are you’re not. The truth is that the act of collecting has done something to you—it’s captured your mind and become your god, a god that can never fulfill you like the One True God can.
Jesus doesn’t solve all our problems
This encounter gives us a beautiful portrait of the Lord’s patience and wisdom. Sometimes we doubt God’s love because he doesn’t solve all of our problems all by himself, right away. But does a truly loving father take the easy way out and spoil his children? No. God always wants what’s best for his children, and his best is often different from what we think is best for us.
Jesus saw that this man was too attached to material things, and his refusal to resolve the difficulty helps the man to refocus and reorder his priorities. Jesus is our friend precisely because he never loses sight of our real goal, communion with God, starting now and finishing in heaven. And he never gets tired of leading us closer to it.
The Eternal Banquet
One of the Lord’s favorite images to describe heaven is a wedding banquet, where his joy will be in us and our joy will be complete. And the good news is, we don’t have to wait to have a foretaste of heaven here on earth. Every Mass is a participation in the eternal joy of heaven.
In the Mass, Jesus shows us just how rich we really are by renewing his sacrifice on the Cross. He gave himself to us and for us on the Cross, and he renews that same gift at every Mass. In the Mass we also receive the Eucharist, which unites us with Jesus in his Body and Blood, his Soul and his Divinity. We are already made sharers in heaven when we receive him.
Finally, when we receive the Eucharist, Jesus wants to unite us with each other. In heaven we will all experience a perfect communion of life and love with each other. The Eucharist initiates that unity even now. Bottom line: In Christ we are rich beyond measure!